Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for gifting me a digital copy of the latest nonfiction work by Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls. 5 stars for an impeccably-researched book of this incredible woman's story.
In the 1860s, Elizabeth Packard, married for over 20 years to Theophilus and mother of their 6 children, was deemed insane and committed to the Illinois State Hospital. The reason? She had different political views from those of her pastor husband. She never dreamed that this would be the beginning of a long stay where she discovered that she was not the only sane person committed by their husband. In those days, women had zero rights and husbands could commit them due to reasons such as reading novels, thinking too much, irregular menstrual cycles. Once Elizabeth realized that she had nothing left to lose, she did everything in her power to change laws so that women had more of a voice.
The author stated that every line of dialogue came from an actual record - I was astounded the entire time I read this book. The conditions in the asylum and the treatment of the patients is horrific. The power that husbands and men in general had over women appalling. But the amazing fortitude of Elizabeth Packard to rise up and make a difference for women was astonishing. While. so much has changed, the stigma and treatment of real mental illness still has so much more to go. This book is a must read!
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